LOOK out Europe – Wales’ top two regions are on the march. That was the defiant message from the Blues and Ospreys after they moved closer to repeating last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final appearances.

The Blues stretched their 100 per cent record in Pool 6 with an astonishing 10-6 victory in the Parc des Sports Aguilera backyard of French giants Biarritz Olympique.

And the Ospreys remain in the Pool Three shake-up after their 36-16 victory against Benetton Treviso in Italy was followed by Leicester Tigers’ defeat to Perpignan yesterday.

The Tigers are locked on 15 points with the Ospreys after picking up a losing bonus point in France.

But the impact of Dan Carter (below) – the New Zealand fly-half scored 16 debut points in the French side’s 26-20 victory over the Tigers – will up the ante on the Ospreys’ visit to France next month.

However, it is the Blues who deserve the greatest accolades after inflicting only Biarritz’s third home defeat in European rugby’s premier tournament.

“I am really proud of the team,” declared Blues chief Dai Young.

“We can still improve, but we have to enjoy this win because we have come a long way in the last few years.

“We were the whipping boys of Europe for so long, but the last two or three years we have really improved by coming here and winning.

While the Blues are sitting pretty with games against Gloucester (away) and Calvisano (home) to come, Ospreys’ fans are preparing for an emotional roller-coaster with Carter’s Perpignan and Leicester on the new year horizon.

“We have stated all along we wanted to go into the last game with our destiny in our own hands – and that means going to Perpignan and doing something positive,” said Ospreys caretaker coach Sean Holley.

“We’ll take stock, go back to the other competitions for a while and then hit it running in January.

“But I think we’ll do well in the Heineken Cup if we do what we can control in our own games. I was delighted with not just the outcome but the performance in Italy.

“The idea was to put the pressure on the other two and I think we achieved that goal.”